The key to the Upcon® technology is the use of upconverting nanoparticles (UCNP). These inorganic nanocrystals are doped with lanthanide ions that provide the favorable properties of stable and bright luminescence, discrete emission bands and long emission lifetime.

With the combination of NIR-excitation (980 nm) and detection at a lower wavelength, the autofluorescence from biological samples is totally eliminated, and the particles are detectable through tissue sections and even in whole blood. An affordable laser diode is sufficient for excitation purposes allowing a simple readout system. Only a minute amount of Upcon particles is required for detection due to their highly intense emission and the eliminated background fluorescence from other sources. All this translates into improved sensitivity in your application.

The Upcon concept is intended for companies and research institutions working in the life science field. The concept includes both the UCNPs and first-of-their-kind readers.

Examples of application areas:

• Lateral flow tests • Bioaffinity assays • Sensors

Upconversion process of NaYF4 nanoparticles doped with ytterbium and erbium. Video courtesy of Andrew Mueller and Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.